


Fated

by Poteto



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on a Tumblr Post, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff, Harry Potter spoilers, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, More specifically Harry Potter and The Half-blood Prince spoilers, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 19:19:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13130331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poteto/pseuds/Poteto
Summary: Kentarou's soulmate mark is a grim one and he grows up afraid of meeting them. He decides he doesn't need a soulmate at all if someone named Dumbledore needs to die because of it.





	Fated

**Author's Note:**

> ahahah you know[ this post](http://vikingpoteto.tumblr.com/post/166827501656/siriuslyymoonyy-littlelions101)? Yeah...... I'm sorry and I hope you're having happy holidays. 

Kentarou had that mark on his wrist for as long as he could remember. He knew it wasn’t a regular birthmark, even though he couldn’t understand it. He didn’t bother asking his father about it, because his father was too much like Kentarou himself - barely used his words, never knew what anything was and grumbled all the time. Kentarou’s mother, on the other hand, was very informative. She would answer Kentarou’s questions without batting an eye. So one day, while his father prepared dinner and she washed the dishes, he asked her about the strange mark.

“That’s your soulmate mark,” she said.

“What is a soulmate?” Kentarou asked.

“A person that it’s destined to be with you forever.”

“Like mum?”

His mother’s lips curved upwards. She almost never smiled, but she would sometimes wear that soft look. Usually when she was around Kentarou and her husband.

“Not quite, kid.”

Kentarou looks horrified. “You’re not going to be with me forever?”

From the counter, Kentarou’s father chokes on his own spit. “Don’t say dumb stuff like that! Of course your ma and I are going to be there for you forever!”

And then he turned red like the beet he was cutting for dinner. Kentarou didn’t understand back then why his father would get red and sweaty so easily, but his mother looked somewhat amused at his reaction.

“They are going to be with you in a different way, Kentarou,” his mother continued as if she wasn’t interrupted. “Like your father is with me.”

“Oh,” Kentarou says and takes another look at his forearm. “What does it mean?”

“It represents the moment you’ll realize your soulmate is the one.”

“But mine is just a bunch of weird symbols!”

Kentarou’s father frowns. “Your soulmate mark are words?”

Kentarou nods and shows him his arm. “What does it say?”

“We can’t see it, kid,” his mother said. “Each person can see their mark only.”

“That’s not cool at all,” Kentarou said with a pout. “I want it gone.”

“It will be gone when you find your soulmate,” his father said. “Now come here and help me.”

 

 

Kentarou learns to read at school, but he still can’t tell what the symbols on his arm say. His teacher tells the class about kanji and Kentarou gets pissed at japanese for being so complicated. He has learned a lot about soulmates, mostly from television and manga. His friends at school talk about it often.

He learns that most soul marks are drawings or symbols - which kind of makes sense, since writing is a relatively new thing in human history and soulmate marks have existed since… well. Forever. His parents won’t tell him what their marks were, much to his annoyance. It’s common for people to keep their marks to themselves, since it’s a personal thing. As much as it is normal for people to put doodles of the mark as their profile picture in social media.

He also learns that everyone has a soul mark, even though not everyone marries their soulmate. Some people are just really good friends with theirs.

One night, Kentarou watches his father gasp as his mother walks into the room. “Your ma hasn’t been this happy in a while. I wonder if something good happened,” he says.

Kentarou’s mother looks the same to him, though. Serious face, dark clothes and tightly shut mouth. If you look closely, there is some sort of sparkle in her eyes, but Kentarou only sees it because he knows her since he was born. Later, she tells them she got a promotion at work and Kentarou’s father holds her hand in celebration. They are not like the couples on TV, all tight hugs and big smiles and love promises (for which Kentarou _thanks God_ , he wouldn’t bear being the child of a disgusting couple like those) but they are perfect for each other in their own grumpy way.

That’s when Kentarou realizes that he wants his soulmate to be his spouse. He wouldn’t want to marry anyone that couldn’t understand him like that.

Soulmates were something to look forward to, something everyone seemed to want. Kentarou… thinks he understands. A soulmate is a person that is destined to be by your side. It doesn’t matter what. It’s someone that will understand you and be there for you. A best friend. A partner. Kentarou doesn’t admit it out loud, but he would like to have that, someday.

When Kentarou learns how to write “death”, his blood goes cold. Because it looks just like one of the kanji on his wrist. He still can’t read the entire sentence, but he doesn’t think having “death” related to the moment he’ll find out who his soulmate is can be a good omen.

He hides in his closet and tries to scratch the word out, as if making it disappear will change his fate. He’s been looking forward to meeting his soulmate for years. They can’t be dead, can they? He cries of anger and frustration until his parents find him. It takes a lot for them to get Kentarou to explain what was wrong.

When he finally admits it, his father takes him into his lap and squeezes him tightly, turning a pleading gaze to Kentarou’s mother. She tries to tell him not to take the message too seriously, it might have a different meaning. Soulmate marks are misinterpreted all the time and no one can be completely sure of the meaning, even after the soulmate is revealed and the mark disappears for good.

Kentarou wills himself to stop crying in front of them. They are clearly scared and worried. He doesn’t want to worry his parents anymore.

On that night, Kentarou thinks to himself he might have to live without a soulmate. It’s not unheard of. People that lose their partner way too soon. People that never meet their soulmate at all. Maybe Kentarou is one of these cases. If his mark represents the moment he finds out who his soulmate is, maybe he’ll figure out he’s in love in the worst possible moment. Kentarou imagines himself holding a stranger - he can’t quite see their features, but he imagines his soulmate must have soft hair and a pretty face - and the stranger is in great pain. They are bleeding out. Kentarou realizes they’re the one as their face turns pale and their eyes lose the sparkle.

(Kentarou watches way too much shonen anime, he can picture it perfectly.)

He bites back a new wave of tears and gets angry at the universe for getting his hopes up and then bringing him down so abruptly. He gets angry and he decides that he doesn’t want to meet his soulmate at all. He’ll never fall in love. He’ll never know who this soft haired stranger is and they will never break his heart.

Who needs a dumb soulmate anyway?

Not him.

Screw soulmates.

 

 

Kentarou is hellbent on not falling in love, ever. He knows that there are people who don’t. He tries not to get too close to people, because he doesn’t want to watch his best friend die either. How does that work, anyway? Can it be avoided? If Kentarou manages to not have friends or romantic interests, will his soulmate not die? Or they’ll die nonetheless, just without his knowledge?

Unfortunately, he’s not successful. He joins the volleyball team, because he loves the sport and volleyball can’t die in his arms. He makes sure to keep his distance, but it’s not as simple as it seems. A sweet boy named Watari keeps talking to him regardless of how many times Kentarou pushes him away. Their captain insists in including Kentarou in everything the team does, despite his protests. And a cute girl from the female volleyball team greets him with a smile everytime she sees him. She is pretty and has soft hair. Watari becomes Kentarou’s best friend. He falls for the girl without even trying.

He really has to work on his pariah skills.

Kentarou can’t help it when Watari becomes a part of his life, the two of them being in the same team and all that, but he avoids the girl often enough. His heart still races to the sight of her, but he keeps his distance. She doesn’t actively seek him. He graduates without a girlfriend and with a bitter heart.

 

 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Kentarou barks

He manages to hit the ball in the last second, but not without losing his balance. Kentarou ends up falling on his ass after the effort to stop the ball from hitting him in the face. No one even thinks of laughing, however, because it’s Kentarou and everyone but the third years is afraid of him. Everyone but the third years _and_ the motherfucker that served a ball right at Kentarou’s nose.

He is on his feet and marching toward the net even before Watari can ask him if he’s okay.

“You did that on purpose!” Kentarou accuses.

From the other side of the net, Yahaba Shigeru scowls at him. “We are in the middle of volleyball practice,” he says. “Are you accusing me of hitting the ball on purpose?”

“You threw the ball at my face and you know it, you little shit!”

“I am playing,” Yahaba says cooly. “It’s not my fault you can’t receive a ball properly.”

If it wasn’t for the net between them, Kentarou would have punched Yahaba’s stupid nose. He starts to go beneath it to do just that, but before he can do anything, Oikawa is there. Of course he is. Oikawa is a fucking pain in the ass that magically appears everytime Kentarou is about to give Yahaba exactly what he deserves.

“Now, now, what’s the issue here?”

“Nothing,” Yahaba says at the same time Kyoutani barks, “he freaking served a ball at my face!”

Yahaba gives Kyoutani a stern look. “You must have been the worst middle schooler ever.”

“Now, now,” Oikawa repeats gesturing annoyingly at the two of them as if that means something. “Are you hurt, Mad Dog-chan?”

“Of course I’m not. I managed to receive it. Only because I’m a damn good player.”

“If you’re so good, then it shouldn’t be an issue,” Yahaba says. “If you were actually paying attention to practice…”

“Just because I’m good enough to get your half-assed serves doesn’t mean I should be pulling your weight,” Kentarou says.

That finally gets a reaction. Yahaba’s face grows red with anger, which makes Kentarou feel good and bad at the same time. Good, because Yahaba Shigeru is a walking piece of shit and he needs to get knocked down from his high horse every now and then. Bad, because… Well. Kentarou isn’t sure. He just feels conflicted every time he argues with Yahaba.

“Enough,” Oikawa says, his voice unusually serious. Kentarou hates that both him and Yahaba automatically obey him. “Mad Dog-chan, if you’re not hurt, there’s no need to be angry, is there? And Yahaba is right, you should be paying attention. _Also_ ,” Oikawa raises his voice when Kentarou tries to protest, “Kyoutani is right, Yahaba, you have more control than that. You shouldn’t be serving in a way that will get you a foul. Apologize and be more careful, will you?”

Yahaba pouts, but he doesn’t dare go against their captain when he’s being this reasonable. Instead, he side-eyes Kentarou and spits an “I’m sorry” before turning around and running back to his position.

Kentarou backs off before Oikawa says anything else, annoyed. Sometimes, volley practice freaking sucks.

In a way, it’s easier than middle school. He hates half of the team, so chances are none of them is his dying soulmate. He interacts mostly with Yahaba, Oikawa, Iwaizumi and Watari and… Well. Oikawa is too flashy for Kentarou to get along with him, so he isn’t afraid of their idiotic captain. Iwaizumi is amazing and all, but Kentarou doesn’t think they’ll ever be close enough. He’s still afraid Watari will turn out to be his platonic soulmate, but part of him already knows that it isn’t like that. Watari is his friend, sure, but a regular friend. Not a fated-to-be-with-him-forever friend.

And then there is Yahaba Shigeru, the outlet to Kentarou’s every frustration. It was hate at the first sight and he and Yahaba have been fighting over stupid things since day one. It’s safe to be around Yahaba, because Yahaba isn’t afraid of him and, despite him being annoying as fuck, it’s almost fun to antagonize him. It’s safe for Kentarou to be around people like Yahaba, people that can’t stand him, because they’ll never fall in love with him or be his partner for life.

 

 

It’s been a couple of years since Kentarou learned what his soulmate mark says. Most people have drawings, abstract symbols and weird shapes or random words to be interpreted – Watari himself once told Kentarou that his looks a bit like a cat – but Kentarou? Kentarou has a whole sentence.

 _I can’t believe Dumbledore is dead_ , it reads perfectly on Kentarou’s wrist.

First of all, what the hell is a Dumbledore? Is Kentarou’s soulmate a foreigner? What the fuck does that sentence even mean?

Kentarou is tempted to look further into it, but he doesn’t want to. Whatever situation in which he realizes he’s in love while someone else talks about death can’t be good. He’s decided a long ago that he would put an end in this situation by never meeting his soulmate. Ever. He will pretend that stupid ominous sentence isn’t there and carry on with his life perfectly soulmateless.

The thing about feeling safe around someone is that you get reckless.

Kentarou has been extremely careful not to get attached to anyone, because that might lead someone named Dumbledore to their death. However, he is a regular boy and he doesn’t think he could completely isolate himself and not get crushingly lonely. So he seeks loopholes.

It’s safe to be with Watari, since Watari’s mark is some sort of cat drawing and Kentarou is the exact opposite of a cat person. It’s safe to look up to Iwaizumi-san, because it’s common knowledge that Iwaizumi-san has already found his soulmate on his first year of high school, though he keeps their identity a secret for some reason.

And it’s safe to go around messing with Yahaba Shigeru, because Yahaba Shigeru hates him.

Kentarou should know better. He should have known better and yet…

Kentarou and Yahaba Shigeru stand in the hallway, each holding a bucket full of water. Neither of them thought the teacher would actually do that to them – such an old school punishment Kentarou thought it was just an anime thing – but that’s what they get for getting into a shouting match right before the first class of the day.

God, Oikawa is going to be a pain in the ass about this if he finds out.

The two boys stand there, stiff, both refusing to complain about the weight of the buckets, because the first to do so is obviously the loser. (Kentarou himself isn’t sure about _what_ he would be losing, since he can’t quite remember why he and Yahaba have been fighting in the first place, but he sure as hell isn’t giving up.) Aside from muffled noises from inside the classroom, there’s nothing to break the tense silence.

Then, unexpectedly, Yahaba says, “did you hear that?”

Kentarou glares at him as if he’s being insane. Since when do they talk like polite human beings?

“Hear what?” He asks back petulantly.

“Shh,” Yahaba makes.

Kentarou gets irrationally annoyed by that – how dare Yahaba ask him a question and then tell him to be quiet when he tries to answer it? – and he’s about to start yelling at him again when he does hear it. A faint whine.

Yahaba carelessly sets down his bucket and heads to the windows. He lets out a soft gasp. Kentarou ends up following him with a begrudging, “what?”

“There’s a dog,” Yahaba says, pointing at the bushes on the ground floor.

Kentarou scowls and leans in, searching. It isn’t long before he notices a dirty little ball of fur in the middle of the leaves. It’s so small it could be a cat, except it’s got long ears. And it does not look like a cat enjoying the sun. They hear another soft whimper.

He puts down the bucket immediately and heads to the stairs.

“What are you doing?” Yahaba hisses. “We’re going to get in trouble!”

“What do you mean what am I doing?” Kentarou glares. “It is probably hurt, I gotta help him!”

Instead of threatening to rat him out to the teacher, Yahaba follows him.

“Didn’t know you were a vet,” he says.

“You got a better suggestion?” Kentarou shoots right back.

“No, I don’t,” Yahaba concedes.

The boys head downstairs without running into anyone – since everyone is in class anyway – so they’re able to rush outside without resistance. Finding the little fur ball is easy enough. They were right. It is a dog. A small, light brown puppy, so skinny it’s painful to watch, so dirty and weak it can be barely seen. It whimpers weakly when Kentarou and Yahaba approach it, scared.

“We do have to help it,” Yahaba says.

He walks up to the dog carefully, but with resolution, taking off his jacket to wrap the puppy with it. Kentarou had never imagined proper and prim Yahaba doing such a thing.

The thing about feeling safe is that that’s when you’re most vulnerable. On that afternoon, Kentarou’s most hated teammate Yahaba Shigeru becomes just Yahaba: the guy that helped him pick up a stray puppy and snuck out of school to get it to safety.

Their absence is noted and they get in trouble. They get yelled at by the teacher, the guidance counselor and even Iwaizumi-san. Kentarou would be relieved if those were the only consequences.

 

 

Saving a puppy together kind of changes your relationship with someone. Neither of them can take the dog home, so they build a shelter for it at the park. Kentarou isn’t sure how they establish that, but they end up taking turns on who feeds it and visiting it after practice more often than they should. Because of that, they have more and more civilized conversations in which neither is yelling. It’s almost as though they’re friends.

Except they still argue inside court because of Yahaba’s annoying adoration of Oikawa and Kentarou’s refusal to be a team player.

Then Interhigh happens and Yahaba slams Kentarou against a wall, lecturing him on his ways, and forces Kentarou to see things under a light he hasn’t considered before. For the second time, Yahaba shows a side Kentarou didn’t know – a strong, passionate side, the proof that Yahaba isn’t just Oikawa’s pushover, but has a determination of his own – and Kentarou can’t help but respect that.

They lose. It’s frustrating and painful, but it only makes them more determined to get revenge next year. When Kentarou sits by Yahaba’s side on the bus, instead of taking his usual seat next to Watari, they make a promise.

(That is the first time Kentarou notices that Yahaba’s face is prettier than he initially thought.)

When exams come, for the first time in his life Kentarou manages to forget about soulmates completely. Being a second year, the teachers are starting to pressure him into choosing an appropriate university and he isn’t so sure about what he wants. The volleyball club takes a break, which means Kentarou doesn’t have anything else to distract him.

(Except visiting the dog sometimes.)

 

 

Watari gets horrified when he sees Kentarou’s last grades and calls for an intervention. That’s how he finds himself sitting between Watari and Yahaba in a public library, cramming a week before the exams.

Much to Kentarou’s delight, Yahaba isn’t that better at studying than he is.

"This is bullshit," Yahaba says. "I'm never using literature in real life."

"Usually people say that about math," Watari says without raising his eyes from his work.

"Math is way more useful than this," Yahaba insists. "It keeps asking what the recurrent mention of Yoshiko's green eyes means. It means she had green eyes! Who cares!"

Kentarou presses his lips together tightly so he won't start laughing. He doesn't know why it is so funny to see Yahaba annoyed at something that isn't Kentarou, but it is.

"We should take a break," he suggests. "If I solve one more equation, I'll shove this book up Shimada-sensei's ass."

Now it's Yahaba's turn to hold back a snort, but he isn't as successful as Kentarou. For some reason, the fact that Yahaba finds his snarky comments funny is even more pleasant than the fact that now Kentarou isn't the primary source of irritation for Yahaba. Kentarou tries not to think too much about it and attributes any weird feelings he might be experiencing to the exhaustion of studying all afternoon long.

"Fine, we can take a break," Watari concedes.

Kentarou and Yahaba let out identical sighs of relief in unison as they close their books. The satisfaction in both of their faces is way too obvious and it makes Watari give them a judgemental look. Neither of them looks guilty enough, considering the fact that they should be very grateful. If it wasn't for Watari, they probably wouldn't have gotten any studying done.

"You know what would be fun?" Yahaba asks. "We could go to the park after this. Play something?"

"We are not supposed to be practicing," Watari reminds him. "If coach finds out we're playing right before the exams we're going to get in trouble."

"It doesn't need to be volleyball," Yahaba says. "It's just... to unwind a bit? We could play baseball or something."

Kentarou likes the idea more than he can say. They can even take the opportunity to visit the dog - that they wittingly have been calling Dog, under the excuse that they'll get too attached to it if they give it a name. However, he probably shouldn't stay out so late. His parents have been complaining that he doesn't spend any time at home recently - which might or might not have been caused by the amount of time he's wasting with Yahaba after class - and he promised he'd be home for dinner.

"I can't," he says, simply.

The betrayed look Yahaba gives him almost makes him change his mind - recently, he found out it's very hard to say no to whatever Yahaba asks - but, before he says anything stupid, Watari intervenes:

"Where will we get energy to play anything after this unholy amount of homework?"

Yahaba turns bashful. "Then we could do something else? Maybe go to the movies?"

Kentarou glares at him. Yahaba has been weird for a while now. It was him the one to suggest studying in the Public Library, claiming that it would be better for them to focus there, even though the school library would have been a more practical option. He's been jumpy and unfocused all afternoon. There's something up.

"What's the matter?" Kentarou asks.

"Nothing," Yahaba says, too quickly. "What's _your_ matter?"

"Nothing my ass," Kentarou insists. "Why you don’t wanna go home?"

Watari gives Kentarou a confused look as if he hadn't noticed Yahaba's obvious weird behavior. Instead of explaining, Kentarou glares down at Yahaba until he sighs and admits:

"Fine. I just... My neighbor confessed to me."

Something inside Kentarou's stomach drops and he doesn't think he fully understands the words. A confession. A love confession.

Watari lets out an exaggerated gasp and leans over the table as if getting physically closer to Yahaba will help him absorb information faster.

"Your neighbor, you say? Is it someone I know? Do they go to Aoba Johsai?"

"Shhhh," Yahaba looks around to make sure no one is listening. "Yes, but you have to keep it a secret, okay? It's... You know Wei, from the basketball club?"

"That foreign student? I didn't know he was your neighbor."

"Well, he is and... He thinks... He said he thinks his soul mark might refer to me."

Watari makes a strangled noise and seconds later a librarian appears to give them a nasty look. Watari apologizes softly and fidgets on the same place until she goes away and he can press Yahaba for more details.

"And? You think he's your soulmate?"

"I don't know," Yahaba says. "He... He is kinda handsome and cool. I... He's obviously not in love with me or anything, but he said he had a crush on me for a while and he thinks... I don't know. He wants to try going out and see how it goes."

"What's your mark?" Watari asks eagerly.

"That's personal," Yahaba says, his hand flying to his own wrist - the same spot where Kentarou has his own mark. "But maybe..."

"What did you say to him?" Kentarou asks. His voice sounds weirdly tight.

Yahaba gives him a curious look and, when he speaks, he does it very carefully. "I don't know yet. Which is why I'm avoiding him."

"That's idiotic," Kentarou says. "You already told him you're not giving him an answer right away. What are you hiding for?"

"Kyoutani is right," Watari says. "He'll understand that you need to think about it."

"I don't know, all right?" Yahaba pouts. "I'm just freaked out. I mean, what would you do if you could meet your soulmate right now?"

"Touché," Watari says with a shrug.

Kentarou scowls, but decides not to say anything. What if he met his soulmate, indeed. There is no way of knowing who they are until some person named Dumbledore is dead and Kentarou doesn't like to think about it or what it implies. Instead of telling his friends about his worries, he moves his leg until his knee is touching Yahaba's.

He doesn't know why he does it. Something about the proximity between them makes him feel less uneasy. Yahaba doesn't say or do anything to acknowledge the small contact - perhaps he doesn't even notice it - but he doesn't move away. Maybe Kentarou is going crazy, but he can swear Yahaba's shoulders look less stiff after that.

 

 

Kentarou always feeds Dog on Saturdays, since the park is on his usual afternoon jog route. When he arrives to the park, however, he finds that Yahaba beat him to it.

And he looks absolutely miserable for someone playing with a dog in a beautiful afternoon.

"What's wrong with your face?" Kentarou asks.

Yahaba glares daggers at him. "What's wrong with _your face_?"

Kentarou scowls back and crosses his arms.

"Fine," Yahaba sighs. "I went on a date with Wei today. And then dumped him."

Kentarou blinks. "Oh. What, your date sucked, so you came to Dog for comfort?"

"The date was fine," Yahaba turns his attention back to Dog, rubbing its belly. "But I didn't like it either way. I don't want Wei to be my soulmate."

Carefully, Kentarou crouches down next to Yahaba and watches Dog rolling around happily. It's none of his business, he thinks. Yahaba is his friend, sure, but he doesn't like thinking about soulmates and he isn't about to meddle into any of his friends' love life. He doesn't want to, shouldn't want to.

"Why not?" he hears himself asking despite everything.

Yahaba rubs Dog's belly five more times before he finally says, "he's not that fun to be around. I'd rather spend time with you than with him."

Kentarou's stomach does a weird flop. Only then Yahaba seems to notice what he just admitted and his face goes crimson.

"Th-that is, you're such a pain in the ass and I still prefer hanging out with you," he amends.

Whatever he says, Kentarou doesn't think his heart will stop racing anytime soon.

"Jerk," he says, elbowing Yahaba on the side.

" _You're_ a jerk," Yahaba elbows him back.

Both boys turn their attention to the dog and decide not to talk about that anymore.

 

 

Kentarou's last year of high school feels different from the past years, for some reason. He has to study harder than he ever had and he throws himself at volleyball practice harder than he ever had. He's now the team's ace, so of course he does it. His new captain might be a pain in the ass, but Yahaba is much more tolerable than Oikawa ever was. Club activities are funner than ever.

His last year of high school passes on the blink of an eye and it isn't until the very end that Kentarou fully fathoms that it's over. He might get to join the volleyball team in University too, but it won't be the same. People at the university won't understand Kentarou's undying admiration for Iwaizumi-san. Watari won't be there. Dog won't be there.

Yahaba won't be there.

It isn't that he didn't see it coming. He did. He got tired of hearing teachers, classmates, underclassmen, his parents, the guidance counselor, everyone and their mom talking about how the end was near.

Still, Kentarou didn't fully realize what was happening until it did happen and it suddenly is graduation day.

Overwhelmed, he decides that no one really expects him to stay during the entire ceremony, so he looks for an empty classroom to take a breather. Months ago, he’d be able to hide for as long as he wanted, and no one would even notice.

Now, however, there is one person that is always paying attention to him.

“Why are you hiding here?” Yahaba asks.

Kentarou hides because he likes being alone. Sometimes, being around people gets just too tiring and he needs to get away from them for a while. Often he needs a break from his classmates and even most of his teammates.

The funny thing, though, is that he hardly ever needs a break from Yahaba. It's weird, because Yahaba is one of the most overbearing people Kentarou has ever met, but they somehow became inseparable. It's weird, because rationally Kentarou knows that he's only known Yahaba for three years and they've been friends for roughly one third of that time, but they just fit together inexplicably. If someone had told him that two years ago, he would have laughed at them, but Yahaba is his best friend. With all of their bickering and competitiveness and support and fun times and arguing and laughing and yelling, Kyoutani Kentarou and Yahaba Shigeru are friends.

So instead of telling him to piss off, Kentarou just makes a noncommittal sound. Yahaba smiles softly and walks closer.

"Don't you get lonely, Kyoutani?" He teases.

"You missed me that much?" Kentarou snarks back.

Rather than acting miffed as usual, Yahaba nudges at him lightly with his elbow. And then he doesn't move away. They stand side by side, their arms pressed together, both watching the wind gently blowing at the trees outside.

"We're graduating," Yahaba says.

"You don't say," Kentarou replies, which earns him a stern look.

It takes a couple of seconds before Yahaba tries again.

"Aren't you going to miss this?" he asks.

So apparently Yahaba needs to have a last cheesy conversation. Kentarou sighs. He decides to make a concession, just this time.

Not too much, though.

"No, I'm not gonna miss it. It was hell and I hate everyone here."

Yahaba doesn't say anything to that, so Kentarou starts feeling guilty for being a jerk. He huffs out an annoyed sigh.

"The club was fun, though."

Yahaba smiles softly. He looks unfairly beautiful wearing that melancholic expression.

"The club was the funnest," he says. "I wonder how it's going to be from now on."

"We're going to college," Kentarou says, "and we're going to play against each other and my team is going to wipe the floor with yours."

Yahaba snorts. "You wish! If you become their ace, then you got no chance."

Kentarou turns to him fully, his mouth opening in indignancy. Not even when their relationship consisted of arguing only had Yahaba said such a harsh insult. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Yahaba grins, satisfied with that reaction. "Your biggest strength is that you're a wild card, but I've been your setter for an entire year. I can read you like an open book."

"Fuck off," Kentarou says. "The hell you can."

"Yes, I do," Yahaba insists, now turning to him as well. "I know you, Kyoutani. Better than anyone else."

For some reason, Kentarou doesn't think they're talking about volleyball anymore.

And that's when he reaches for Yahaba's tie and pulls him down for a kiss.

When their lips touch, it’s overwhelming. It’s unsure and tentative still, but Kentarou feels it. Yahaba lets out a soft sigh and _yes, more of that sound, please_. He loops his arms around Yahaba’s slim waist, bringing him close and relishing on the feeling of their chest flushed together, the way Yahaba buries his fingers in the short hairs of his nape and kisses him back.

They break apart too soon, both boys too breathless considering how small and chaste the kiss was.

It felt so right that it takes a moment for Kentarou to remember that it isn’t supposed to be happening. Soulmates. Weird marks. Yahaba probably is fated to fall in love with someone else while Kentarou is destined to watch Dumbledore die, apparently.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” Kentarou hears himself whispering.

For a second, Yahaba looks hurt. First by Kentarou’s words and then by the memory of the mark he carries somewhere on his body. A mark that probably has nothing to do with Kentarou. The proof that whatever this is between them, it’s probably not forever.

“You wanna stop?” Yahaba asks.

What Yahaba wants is clear. The fact that he wants this as bad as Kentarou doesn’t make this any easier. Kentarou has always had a hard time telling Yahaba no, even back in their second year when their relationship consisted of sarcastic remarks and loud arguments inside the court.

“That’s the last thing I want, dumbass,” he hears himself saying.

Yahaba kisses him again and this time Kentarou doesn’t let him pull away. Their kiss, pretty much like everything else they do, is a competition. It’s rough and sweet, desperate and nice, forbidden and _right_.

 

 

University isn’t that different from high school, if you ask Kentarou. He is still part of the volleyball club. There are still annoying people in his classes. There are still people that fear him for no damn valid reason. Granted, classes are less boring, since now he gets to study something that actually interests him and is going to be of real use. Now he gets to live in the dorms instead of his parents' home, which is fun.

Kentarou is happy with the way his like has turned out, all things considered. If he had to complain about something, it'd be that he misses seeing his friends everyday.

(He won't, though, because he'll die before admitting something so embarrassing out loud.)

There's something fun about seeing Yahaba on the other side of the net, however. Having an actual excuse to trashtalk him without Watari telling him he's supposed to be nicer to his teammates. They don't get to play against each other, both being freshmen, but they get to exchange a few insults for old times sake.

And even better: after the game, while the others shower, they get to sneak out behind the gym to kiss and make up for the time they spent apart.

No, Kentarou will not complain about the way things are right now. He goes to sleep to Yahaba's good night text. They manage to find time in their busy schedules to meet at least once a week. Whenever they hold hands, whenever they lips touch, Kentarou melts in a little puddle of happiness, which is so disgusting it makes his skin crawl.

The thing is: he's happy. Yahaba looks incredibly happy, too. They never exactly talk about this thing between them. They're friends. They kiss, go on dates... But they avoid labels. Because dating someone is a huge risk. You're either that person's soulmate or you're not, and neither of them wants to burst their little bubble of bliss with that kind of pressure.  They don't want to think about the fact that they'll either be together forever or that one day someone else will appear and they'll realize their mark means they're meant to be with someone else.

 

 

At some point, Yahaba becomes just Shigeru. The name feels right on Kentarou's tongue. It's easy for Kentarou to think he wants this to last forever when Shigeru leans against him and smiles. It's easy to just say screw it and kiss their intertwined fingers tenderly, enjoying the moment. When they're apart, though, there's always a small part on the back of his mind that feels anxious.

Shigeru never brings up his soulmate mark and Kentarou doesn't ask. Is it because he doesn't want to pressure Kentarou? Is it because the mark doesn't have anything to do with Kentarou and this relationship is just something temporary to him? He doesn't dare ask.

He's glad that Shigeru doesn't ask about his either. Kentarou would have a hard time explaining the moment he falls in love with his soulmate is related to some foreign guy's death. Some things are better left unsaid.

 

 

Kentarou is still shorter, but Shigeru likes to sit between his legs when they play video games together anyway.

“You missed an enemy,” Kentarou points out, resting his chin on the top of Shigeru’s head.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Shigeru says, “I was too busy trying not to die while these motherfuckers from every possible side while you smothered me to death in real life.”

“I’m not smothering you to death,” Kentarou says as he wraps his arms more firmly around Yahaba’s waist.

“You are doing it again,” Shigeru complains.

“Want me to let go of you?”

Shigeru tilts his head back to glare at Kentarou. “You know I don’t. Jerk.”

Kentarou laughs and leans in for a kiss. It’s sloppy and awkward in that position and Shigeru lets out a weird noise in protest that makes him laugh harder. They both hear it when Shigeru’s character dies, but neither pays attention to it. Shigeru breaks the kiss only long enough so he can turn around and face Kentarou.

Kentarou lets him straddle his lap and pulls him closer, because he can never get tired of this, of them. Every time he buries his fingers in Shigeru’s soft hair, every time they laugh together, he is sure that he couldn’t be happier, and yet—

“Kentarou?” Shigeru murmurs, his forehead still pressed to his. “What’s wrong?”

Kentarou didn’t realize he got suddenly tense. Usually when he kisses Shigeru, he manages to forget about those troublesome things.

“Nothing,” he lies. “Let’s go back to making out.”

“Kentarou,” Shigeru says in his captain voice. The voice he used to force Kentarou to play nice to people from other schools back then.

He sighs. “It really is nothing. It’s just—I really like you,” he admits.

Shigeru runs his fingers across the line of his jaw. “I really like you too,” he murmurs. “I wouldn’t say that that’s nothing.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kentarou says, frustrated.

“I know. I know what you mean.” Shigeru glances at his left wrist. “I… I think about that too.”

“It sucks that there’s nothing we can do about it,” Kentarou says. “That we have no choice.”

“I don’t see it like that,” Shigeru says. “I think… I think the marks are there because we make a choice. No one can tell me what to do.”

Kentarou gives him a crooked smile. “That last part is partially true. Oikawa used to tell you what to do all the time.”

“I agreed with Oikawa-san about what I had to do, that’s different. Anyway, Oikawa-san isn’t here now, though I find a bit concerning that you’re mentioning other attractive guy when I’m literally sitting on your lap.”

“Jealous?”

“No, you dork,” Shigeru pinches him. “But hey, Kentarou?”

“What?”

“I am here right now because I choose to be. Okay?”

Kentarou is physically ill because of how disgustingly happy he is at the moment.

“Okay,” he says.

 

 

When Kentarou gets a text that from Shigeru that says “S.O.S.”, he doesn’t worry. He’s known Shigeru long enough to know he’s a huge drama queen. Not unexpectedly, the first text is soon followed by an overdramatic “come pick me up right now, Shinji is a monster.”

Kentarou doesn’t think any accusations of Watari doing anything wrong can be true, but he heads to his apartment to pick up his stupid boyfriend anyway. And by pick up he means just get there so they can walk together to Kentarou’s dorm and Shigeru can complain about whatever happened at Watari’s.

As soon as he arrives, Shigeru comes running towards him.

“You won’t believe what he put me through,” he says, adorably indignant.

Kentarou waves at Watari as he and Shigeru start walking side by side.

“I told him I had never watched a Harry Potter movie,” Shigeru tells him, “so he got all offended and we marathoned six of them. Six entire movies, Ken.”

Shigeru is rambling and Kentarou isn’t really listening. Instead, he intertwines their fingers – Shigeru barely notices it, so used he is with Kentarou touching him – and Kentarou watches as Shigeru’s expression changes during his rant. Shigeru, who is strong and beautiful and smart and determined. It’s stupid to get that riled up over a series of children movies, but there is Shigeru. Kentarou loves that passionate side of him.

 _Oh,_ he realizes.

Kentarou really _loves_ it. Actually, he loves Shigeru. He is falling in love with him. Hard. That realization shocks him into going back to the present on time to hear Shigeru saying:

“…and the sixth one? That was bullshit. I can’t believe Dumbledore is dead.”

Kentarou gasps loudly. The words. Those are the words. A burning feeling comes from his wrist and he is sure this is the feeling of the words disappearing. Kentarou has finally fully realized he’s in love with his soulmate.

“What?” Shigeru asks, a hint of worry in his eyes. “I didn’t think you minded spoilers that much.”

“It’s you,” Kentarou says. “You’re the one.”

Shigeru blinks at him in confusion and then lets out a surprised gasp when he feels the burning on his wrist too. His own mark disappearing. He stares at his wrist in disbelief and then turns to Kentarou.

“That’s not how I imagined those words being said,” Shigeru says in awe. “Wait… This means you’re the one too. You’re- You’re my one! Like Harry Potter.”

“Shigeru, what the fuck.”

“Because he’s the chosen one, see?”

“God, I can’t believe you’re my soulmate.”

“Except that I am. Oh my God. Oh my God, Ken, you _looove_ me.”

“Why are you teasing me about it, you fucking dork? You love me too.”

Shigeru smiles at him. “I really do.”

“You—” Kentarou’s stomach does a backflip. “You dumbass, you can’t just say it like that.”

“I might be a dumbass, but I’m your dumbass.”

“Shigeru. Just shut up and kiss me.”

“Yup.”

“ _Shigeru_.”

Shigeru is laughing when he leans down to kiss his boyfriend.

 

 

Kentarou had that goddamn mark on his wrist for as long as he could remember. Probably even before J.K. Rowling decided to kill off that ridiculous guy in her books. It caused him a lot of anxiety and anguish in his entire life.

However, the mark is gone now. And it being gone means that there’s some mystic force out there saying that Kentarou and Shigeru can be happy together for the rest of their lives.

If he thinks about it like that, he doesn’t hate it anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> All of this could have been avoided if Kyoutani just read Harry Potter.


End file.
